The Senegalese Constitutional Council issued a final list of twenty candidates for the presidential elections scheduled to be held next February 25 to succeed current President Macky Sall, who did not run.
The list includes the presidential bloc's candidate, Prime Minister Amadou Bah, former prime ministers and opposition leaders Idrissa Seck and Mohamed Ben Abdallah Dion, former minister Tierno Alassane Sall, and former mayor of Dakar, Khalifa Sall, as well as Basserou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, who is presented as the alternative candidate from the opposition, Ousmane Sonko. .
Sonko came in third place in the 2019 presidential elections.
The Council ruled out his candidacy after a final appeal he submitted, due to his conviction on charges of defamation and his final sentence to six months in prison, suspended on January 4th.
The published list of nominees includes two women, gynecologist Rose Wardini and entrepreneur Anta Babacar Ngom.
Constitutional expert Babacar Gueye said that this is the first time that Senegal has organized presidential elections in which such a large number of candidates participate. Five candidates competed in the last elections in 2019.
This is the first time that Senegal has organized presidential elections without the participation of the outgoing president.
Last July, Macky Sall, who was elected in 2012 for a seven-year term and was re-elected in 2019, announced that he would not run again. He supported the nomination of Prime Minister Amadou to succeed him.
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